From ‘Big Brother Canada’ to ‘The Real Housewives of Toronto’, celebrating the best Canadian reality-TV shows for Canada's 150th

Big Brother Canada’s most explosive season came to an end this spring with a torrent of emotions and confetti. Although the grand prize of $100,000, a car and a home furnishing makeover had been similar in past years, there was something about the fight for the BBCAN5 crown that seemed more extreme than any other season of the Canadian series. The stakes felt higher. Tensions were thicker. And fans’ emotional investment was deeper than ever before. In the end, returning poker-playing underdog Kevin Martin won it all as he was unanimously crowned victorious following a jury vote of 9-0. But while the fifth season caught the attention of the Big Brother community all over the world, the global feedback wasn’t enough to save the Canadian reality series from a hiatus. Fans took to social media in support of the beloved show after host Arisa Cox recently confirmed that the Canadian edition of the reality franchise won’t return to Global TV for the 2018 season. At least for now.

2. The Amazing Race Canada

A new batch of brave Canadians are about to race around the world as the Season 5 premiere is slated to kick off next week. Olympic gold medalist, Jon Montgomery will return to throw a barrage of obstacles at the new adventurous pairs as they attempt to get from one international check-point to the next. This new season, which includes YouTube stars Daniel Kipnis and Riya Malik as well as business partners Andrea Coxen and Ebonie Roberge, will kick-off as teams head across Canada from Newfoundland to British Columbia as the race for the $250,000 begins.

3. MasterChef Canada

A cooking competition doesn’t need the fiery wrath of Gordon Ramsay to be successful. MasterChef Canada has certainly proved that as the series has delivered four delicious seasons that all produced winners that have gone on to have successful careers in the culinary realm. Season 1 winner Eric Chong and MasterChef Canada judge Alvin Leung teamed up to open the R&D restaurant in Toronto. Season 2 winner, David Jorje heads the kitchen at S+L Kitchen & Bar Langley in the Fraser Valley, while Season 3 winner Mary Berg is the face of her A Small Stove brand, which includes everything from confections to catering. Just this June, 26-year-old Alberta-based home chef Trevor Connie joined the winner’s circle — and he has a job at Edmonton’s Corso 32.

4. The Bachelorette Canada

While Canada’s inaugural bachelorette, Jasmine Lorimer was busy sifting through 20 single men to choose which of them had husband material, it seemed as though the rest of the nation was busy falling in love with her. The 28-year-old blonde hairstylist from Kenora, Ont., was spontaneously picked as the first ever leading lady of the Canadian spinoff, and despite her previous anonymity, her hilarious personality and cool-girl vibe made it easy for fans to emotionally invest in her journey to find love. They were perhaps too invested, as Bachelor Nation was certainly outspoken about their opinions about Jasmine’s final choice, when she offered her last rose to 32-year-old firefighter Kevin Wendt over fan-favourite and aviation engineer, Mikhel Sickland. Unfortunately for the girl-next-door, Jasmine and Kevin announced their split just five months after the finale aired. The franchise may have better luck in the future however, as Corus recently announced that it is bringing back The Bachelor Canada to W Network this fall.

5. The Real Housewives of Toronto

The newest Canadian reality series on the block is also one of the most refreshing. While the Canadian narrative may be that we’re just so nice, the six ladies of The Real Housewives of Toronto series proved that Canadians can get just as petty and dramatic as some of the more world-renowned characters on the luxurious reality-TV franchise. The first season, which premiered on Slice earlier this spring, featured a group of women known as the “six from the six” who consisted of a stylish villain by the name of Kara Alloway, as well as a French-Canadian former TV star, a fitness company owner, a real estate boss, and two women who married fairly rich. And while Corus may not have given a second season the green-light, charismatic housewife Roxy Earle announced that she’s currently in the midst of filming a RHOT spinoff. “Lola and I are so excited to announce The Life of Luxurious Roxy has commenced filming,” Roxy tweeted.